Using songs and music to learn a language

Music is an excellent and effective tool for learning languages in a fun way.

Song lyrics are an inexhaustible source of words, phrases and expressions. Listening to music in a language other than our own makes it easier to learn the correct pronunciation.

To start with, choose songs you already know and like: the music you like listening to is very useful for memorising words due to repeated listening. Each song has repetitive words and refrains that are easily imprinted in the mind.

Write the song title on a sheet of paper before you listen to it. What could it be about? What words or expressions come to your mind in the foreign language?

Play and listen to the song for the first time. What emotions does the song convey? Take notes about this, if possible, in the language of the song.

Listen to the song a second time, paying attention to the rhythm of the sentences, the pronunciation, and the intonation of the words. What did you understand? Make a note of the subject of the song, any key words and phrases you understand. Does the song tell a story? What does it describe? Listen to the song again and read the lyrics on the Internet. Reading what you hear enables you to give written form to sounds and understand the spelling. Is the text clearer to you now that you have read the words? Do your initial notes make sense?

Repeat or sing the words aloud. Recite the song as if it were a poem, trying to reproduce exactly the sounds and the rhythm you heard before. Record your voice while you do this exercise and then listen to it again and compare it with the original.

You can also search for subtitled video clips, or even use karaoke!

Look up the words you don’t know in a dictionary. Make a note of them with their meaning and study their context. How and when are these words used? Search for derived or related words, synonyms and opposites.

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